Gnats Game Notes - 4/11/10 - WV Power @ Savannah Sand Gnats 2:05 PM

Game #4 Savannah Sand Gnats (3-0, t-1st) vs. West Virginia Power (0-3, t-5th, North)

Home Game #4 RHP Colin McHugh (NR) RHP Quentin Miller (NR)

Sunday – 2:05 Historic Grayson Stadium - Savannah, GA Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, http://www.sandgnats.com/


Now Pitching: Colin McHugh will make his first start for the Sand Gnats this afternoon. McHugh has moved through the Mets system one level a year, pitching for Kingsport in ’08 and Brooklyn in ’09. With Brooklyn, h was 8-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 75 innings over 14 starts. He struck out 79 batters and walked 21 while yielding only one home run.

Last Night: The Gnats shut out the Power for the second straight night in a 4-0 win. Mark Cohoon gave the Gnats 5.2 shutout innings, and Brandon Moore finished the game by throwing three perfect innings with five strikeouts.

You’ll Get Nothing and Like It: Gnats pitching has not allowed a run in their last 22 innings and has not allowed a runner to third in the last 21 frames. In their last 22 innings, the Gnats have given up eight hits, struck out 18 and walked three. It is the first time that the Gnats have thrown back-to-back shutouts since the start of the 2005 season.

Back-to-Back: Gnats pitchers have thrown back-to-back shutouts for the first time as a Mets affiliate and for the first time since the start of the 2005 season.

In and Out: Jefry Marte was placed on the Gnats disabled list Saturday, retroactive to Friday, April 9th, with a left hamstring strain. He has been replaced on the Gnats active roster by Rylan Sandoval. The Mets signed Sandoval as a free agent this winter after an impressive showing in the Arizona Winter League where he played for the San Luis Atleticos. Sandoval, a two-time junior college All-American, was originally drafted by the A’s in the 38h round in 2006 and again by the Mets in the 30th round in 2007, but chose to attend Long Beach State.

Quick Starts: The Gnats have won three straight games to start the season for the second year in a row. Last year, the Gnats beat the Greenjackets in three straight by a combined score of 10-3. This year, the Gnats have beaten the Power by a combined score of 18-3. Savannah last won more than three games in a row last July 18-23 when the team won five in a row by beating Hickory three times and then taking the first two games in West Virginia.

Top of the Charts: Wilmer Flores and Juan Lagares are both hitting .462 (6 H/13 AB) tied for ninth in the SAL. Gnat pitching has allowed two earned runs in the team’s first three games, and is second in the league in ERA (0.67) trailing on the Rome Braves (0.39) who have allowed just one earned run in their first three contests.